In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of

cancer.

There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her.
It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had
recently discovered.

The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging
ten times what the drug cost him to make.

He paid $400 for the radium and charged $4,000 for a small dose
of the drug.

The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he

knew to borrow the money and tried every legal means,
but he could only get together about $2,000, which is half
of what it cost.
He told the druggist that his wife was dying, and
asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later.

But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug

and I'm going to make money from it.

So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets

anxious and considers breaking into the man's
store to steal the drug for his wife.
Should Heinz steal the drug? Why
or why not?

Kohlbergs Moral Dilemma

Presented By: Ms. Gurkirat Kaur, Asst. Prof. Chitkara
University
Kohlbergs Theory
of
Moral Development
 Who was Lawrence Kohlberg?
1927 - 1983
Born in New York City in
1927.
Graduated from the
University of Chicago in
one year.
Attended Yale and earned a
PhD in psychology.
Became fascinated by moral
development in children.
Theorized six stages of
human moral development.
 Kohlberg's Stages
Pre-conventional level
Stage 1: The punishment and obedience orientation
Stage 2: The instrumental purpose orientation
Conventional level
Stage 3: The "good boy-good girl" orientation
Stage 4: The social-order-maintaining orientation
Post-conventional level
Stage 5: The social-contract orientation
Stage 6: The universal ethical principle orientation
 Levels of Moral Reasoning
Preconventionalmoral reasoning is
based on external rewards and
punishments
Conventionallaws and rules are upheld
simply because they are laws and rules
Postconventionalreasoning based on
personal moral standards
PRECONVENTIONAL LEVEL
Punishments and rewards dominate the
sense of right & wrong
Morality is externally controlled
Rules of authority figures must be respected.
Behaviour that results in punishment are
bad
Behaviour that results in rewards are good
 Stage #1:Obedience and Punishment
Orientation
Morality is based upon the
physical punishment that
follows an action, rather
than right or wrong. The
concern is for self - "Will I
get into trouble for doing (or
not doing) it?" Good
behavior is associated with
avoiding punishment.
EX: The child wont grab
the candy at the supermarket
for fear of being slapped
Possible answers for Kohlbergs dilemma by
children of Stage 1

For stealing: If you let your wife die, you will

get into trouble. Youll be blamed for not
spending your money to save her and there
will be an investigation of you and the druggist
for your wifes death.

Against stealing: You should not steal the drug

because youll be caught and sent to jail if you
do. If you do get away, your conscience would
bother you thinking how the police would
catch you at any minute.
 Stage #2: Relativist Orientation
The concern is "What's in
it for me?" Action is
judged right if it helps in
satisfying one's needs or
involves a fair exchange.

EX: A mother tells her child:

If you are quiet at the
mall, I will buy you an ice
cream.
Possible answers for Kohlbergs dilemma by
children of Stage 2

For stealing: If you do happen to get caught

you could give the drug back and you
wouldnt get much of a sentence. It wouldnt
bother you much to serve a little jail term if
you have your wife when you get out.

Against stealing : He may not get much of a

jail term if steals the drug, but his wife will
probably die before he gets out so it wont
do him much good. If his wife dies, he
shouldnt blame himself. It wasnt his fault
that she has cancer.
THE CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
Needs of Laws and society are the defining
features.
Don't steal because it is against the law
Good behaviour is motivated to maintain the
affection and approval of friends and relatives
Understand that standards are set for the current
social system, not getting that there is self-interest
involved (e.g., no such thing as a bad law)
 Stage #3: Good Boy/Nice Girl
Orientation
People should live up to the
expectations of the family
and community and
behave in "good" ways.
Good behavior means
having good motives and
interpersonal feelings such
as love, empathy, trust,
and concern for others.

EX: Volunteering at a
nursing home is the right
thing to do.
Possible answers for Kohlbergs dilemma by children of
Stage 3

For stealing: Nobody will think youre bad if you steal

the drug but your family will think youre an inhuman
husband if you dont. If you let your wife die, youll
never be able to look anybody in the face again.
Against stealing: It isnt just the druggist who will
think you are a criminal, everyone else will, too. After
you steal it, youll feel bad thinking about how youve
brought dishonor on your family and yourself. You
wont be able to face anyone again.
 Stage #4: Law and Order Orientation
While stage three actions are
more concerned with
pleasing your family, stage
four is associated with
following society as a
whole. Emphasis is spent
on obeying laws to
maintain social order.

EX: If you drink and drive

your endangering the lives
of others on the road, not
just yourself.
Possible answers for Kohlbergs dilemma by children of
Stage 4

For stealing: If you have any sense of honor, you wont let
your wife die because youre afraid to do the only thing
that will save her. Youll always feel guilty that you caused
her death if you dont do your duty to her.

Against stealing: Youre desperate and you may not know

youre doing wrong when you steal the drug. But youll
know you did wrong after youre punished and sent to jail.
Youll always feel guilty for your dishonesty and
lawbreaking
 THE POSTCONVENTIONAL
LEVEL
Personal moral beliefs and values

Characterized by references to
universal ethical principles that
represent protecting the rights or of
all people
Most adults do not reach this level.
 Stage #5: Social Contract Orientation
At stage 4, people want to keep
society functioning.
However, a smoothly
functioning society is not
necessarily a good one. Nazi
Germany was a well
organized society, but nine
million were murdered in the
process.

At stage 5, people begin to ask,

"What makes for a good
society?" They begin to think
about society considering the
rights and values that a
society ought to uphold.
Possible answers for Kohlbergs dilemma by children of
Stage 5

For stealing: The law wasnt set up for these

circumstances. Taking the drug in this situation isnt really
right, but its justified to do it.

Against stealing: You cant completely blame someone for

stealing but extreme circumstances dont really justify
taking the law in your own hands. You cant have everyone
stealing whenever they get desperate. The end may be
good, but the ends dont justify the means
 Stage #6: Universal Ethical Principal
Orientation
As human beings we are
obligated to live by the
principal that all men are
created equal regardless of
race, religion, sexual
orientation, or political
belief. Justice is universal, so
unjust laws must be broken.

EX: Rosa Parks refused to sit in

the back of the bus because it
was an unjust law
discriminating against
African Americans.
Possible answers for Kohlbergs dilemma by children of
Stage 6

For stealing: This is a situation which forces him to

choose between stealing and letting his wife die. In a
situation where the choice must be made, it is morally
right to steal. He has to act in terms if the principle of
preserving and respecting life.

Against stealing: Heinz is faced with the decision of

whether to consider the other people who need the drug
just as badly as his wife. Heinz ought to act not
according to his particular feelings toward his wife, but
considering the value of all the loves involved.
 Criticisms of Kohlbergs theory
Research has not supported Kohlbergs belief that the
development of abstract thinking in adolescence
invariably leads people to the formation of idealistic
moral principles
Some cross-cultural psychologists argue that
Kohlbergs stories and scoring system reflect a
Western emphasis on individual rights, harm, and
justice that is not shared in many cultures.
Kohlbergs early research was conducted entirely
with male subjects, yet it became the basis for a
theory applied to both males and females.
 Carol Gilligans Model
Feels Kohlbergs model is based on an ethic
of individual rights and justice, which is a
more common perspective for males
Gilligans model of womens moral
development is based on an ethic of care
and responsibility.
However, when subjects are carefully
matched, there do not seem to be
systematic gender differences in moral
reasoning
Other Dilemmas to Consider